I have met the most amazing person to come into my life. We have talked for so long that we are at the doorstep of marital bliss. So, I asked her if she plays boardgames. Her response was "What is a board game". I was like "really"? She explained where she lives that things like games have no time in their lives because of the economy. She has seen Chess played, plays Facebook games (dry heaving), but has never played Monopoly, checkers, Chess, Sorry, or any of the games we have taken advantage of having in abundance. She is from a province in Mindanao, where some everyday items to us are luxury to them. So, what would be the way to introduce her to boardgames without overwhelming her or dumbing it down at the same time.

If you have any specific questions about this, please mail me and I will respond.

I would say, introduce it in a big group party setting. Show her the fun and community a board game can bring. Grill out, get the drinks flowing and sit down and play with NFL or College Football muted in the background. Whatever you do make it a social affair.

Play a game that gets everyone laughing, or hooping and hollering. If she likes it then work back to the more 2 player-ish, more strategic games.

The post above might be a bit much if she's from a poor area not used to this sort of thing. Why not dig up some culturally relevent games and start there? The familiarity of concepts and thought patterns would likely be a comfort to her, rather than the purely western themes in most Euros and Ameritrash we play ^^

I've found, east or west, people from a conservative background rarely respond well to huge swings in concept ^^

Edit: Derp, Philippines, not China. Still Chinese/Japanese historical games might be a bit more familiar than western ones. Try finding a copy of 'Indonesia' by Splotter if you want to go 'all in'

Othello, or Kalah: Great introductory abstracts for two players.Wildlife Safari, or Piece o' Cake: Excellent set collection fillers.Yahtzee: Seriously! The basic idea of rolling dice and choosing which to keep is so fundamental to many other great games. A few choices, not many, but an excellent ramp up to better games.Lost Cities: Every gaming couple needs a copy of Lost Cities. I think it's a law or something.

Some of the easiest rules Ive ever seen; can be explained in under 60 seconds. But gets more strategic the more you play and has very high replayabiity. Ive introduced Blokus to many non-gamers who have loved it...quickly.

I think that all right-thinking people in this country are sick and tired of being told that ordinary, decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am.

For someone who has never played board games, I think "Pandemic" could be overwhelming. I would start with something very simple (mostly kids' games) just to help her understand some of the concepts -- things like Yahtzee or Blokus (as mentioned above), checkers, Parcheesi, Trouble, Castle Keep, etc. Maybe Pente and Forbidden Island next, then things like Rumis and so forth.

Take it slow and easy, and continually check with her about what types of games she likes and what, specifically, she likes (or doesn't like) about them so you can track down more games similar to what she enjoys.

Above all, don't try to push her into more complex stuff just because it's what you like. It may seem like you're moving at a snail's pace, but if you are attentive to her likes and dislikes, after a while your patience will be rewarded.

I had played board games growing up, like Clue, Payday, Monopoly, Life, but had no idea what was really out there till a year and a half ago. The first games that hooked me were: That's Life!Ticket to RidePiece o' CakeFincaand Catan after I suffered through learning it.Some of these have already been suggested. I only repeat them to emphasize that they are good ideas.Good luck! I hope she enjoys gaming with you!

And similar games. But maybe not all too hard strategies and something there you don't totally destroy her

Edit: What about UNO and games such as the card game called "stress" here in Sweden (I think it's like both players draw and show a card if it's the same you should throw your hand at it and shout stress, or something such. Very simply but pretty quit relaxed and engaging.)

As a Filipino, I can tell you that Mahjong and card games are quite popular in any place in the Philippines (ie gambling games). "Pusoy Dos", "21 ie. BlackJack" etc..in addition, the Philippines is also the "texting capital" of the world, meaning celphones are everywhere. People often sacrifice their lunch money to get a celphone and also prepaid cellphone load cards. Thus, most likely she is familiar with celphone games. Maybe you can ask her what celphone games she likes to give you an idea of her interests.

Most Filipinos like bright colors, thus a combination of cards and bright colors should help ease her in. I therefore second Ticket to Ride as the game for her to try out. Just help her out with the locations on the map.

Thanks to everyone for their input. I own Ticket to Ride, but I am flying to Zamboanga City and space will be an issue. But I will plan on taking a deck of cards and a simple dice game, probably Yahtzee. But I hope she will take interest because it does get boring soloing games.

Thanks to everyone for their input. I own Ticket to Ride, but I am flying to Zamboanga City and space will be an issue. But I will plan on taking a deck of cards and a simple dice game, probably Yahtzee. But I hope she will take interest because it does get boring soloing games.

Have a great trip there! And enjoy the seafood, especially the crabs and prawns (I hope you are not allergic!).